Catalonia is somewhere you’ve likely never heard of-- it’s a region in the North East of Spain, just South of France. For years, Catalonia has been a willing part of Spain, but now they are more a land held hostage.
On October 1st, the people of Catalonia held a vote to become independent. The Spanish Government ruled the vote illegal and sent riot officers to the land. On October 1st all sense of order was shattered, as officers used battering rams to break down doors and smash ballot boxes.
Despite how horrid it may seem, this was only the beginning. After their attack on the ballots, the officers attacked the people with batons, hitting people over the head with them, despite the peaceful nature of the people-- even as they saw their voting polls torn apart. Videos surfaced of a woman being dragged by the hair out of the building and of brutal attacks, including an incident where a dog following its owner—who was being dragged—only for the loyal dog to be struck full force by a baton. The worst act by far, is the use of rubber bullets, a non-lethal but extremely painful bullet. These bullets left intense injuries and some found their way to a man’s eye who was placed in intensive care. The use of rubber bullets was outlawed in Catalonia years ago.
The wounded count is 840, though none have died thankfully. Currently attempts to negotiate with the Spanish Government have been nothing short of a failure, as a dozen Catalonian officials have been arrested for supporting the referendum for independence.